Teacher had 'Ken bum' surgery to remove his butt - just like the Barbie doll
A teacher has had 'Ken bum' surgery to remove his bottom just like the plastic doll - and claims it has 'transformed his life'.
Ben Raybould now poses as Barbie's male companion on social media to draw attention to a crucial medical surgery, which helped him wave goodbye to a gruelling 14-year Crohn's disease battle.
The 38-year-old was first diagnosed with the bowel disease in 2009, but lockdown stress caused his symptoms to spiral, leaving him suffering incontinence.
Coupled with abdominal cramping that had the dad-of-two feeling as if he was being 'clawed at from the inside out', he told how his symptoms had a serous effect on his physical wellbeing, causing him to 'hobble around like an old man'.
Thr 38-year-old was first diagnosed with Crohn's in 2009 but lockdown stress caused his symptoms to worsen (Kennedy News/ @stomadiaries)
Ben had his colon removed and a stoma bag fitted in June 2022 (Kennedy News/ @stomadiaries)
Ben had his colon removed and a stoma bag fitted in June 2022, but continued to be plagued with issues including mucus and blood production from his anus. Determined to live a normal life, the biology teacher decided to undergo proctectomy surgery - the removal of the anus and rectum - in February.
A gruelling four-and-a-half-hour op left Ben with a sewn-up anus after the muscles were removed, colloquially dubbed a 'Barbie butt' or 'Ken bum'. Eight months on from his surgery, Ben is sharing his ordeal to encourage men to get anything unusual investigated and to talk about the surgery.
The teacher has now had an operation on his backside after experiencing problems (Kennedy News/ @stomadiaries)
He now poses as 'Ken' on social media to draw attention to the surgery (Kennedy News/ @stomadiaries)Ben, from Ipswich, Suffolk, said: "It's nicknamed the 'Barbie Butt surgery' because obviously you end up with a 'Barbie Butt' because you have no anus. In many ways it's completely changed my life. It's changed my outlook on life massively, it's made me a kinder and more considerate person. 'Im definitely more aware of other people who have health problems and what that can mean, and what you need to do to try and support them.
"At the same time, it's left me a bit anxious. The surgeries haven't cured me, I still have Crohn's disease, and there's the worry that it might come back in somewhere it hasn't been before. I can do anything now, I've gone abroad this summer and did a big school trip to Mexico camping in the jungle for a week, which if you haven't got a colon is quite a challenge. My quality of life is immensely better than it was. I'm just learning to enjoy the moment and make the most of the time I've got now, more than ever before."
Ben, who lives with wife Sophie Raybould, 37, and their two children, first suffered with Crohn's colitis in 2009, which is limited to the large intestine. As lockdown came into effect in March 2020, Ben's stress levels increased meaning his symptoms worsened, leaving him unable to control his bowels. He said he was running to the toilet 10-15 times a day and had only "30 seconds' warning" before he needed to be on the toilet. It meant he was having accidents, something which began to affect his job.
Ben's diagnosis was changed to Crohn's disease after doctors found it had spread to his small intestine. In June 2022 he decided to have his colon removed and be fitted with a stoma bag, and felt a "lot better and healthier" afterwards. But he was still having problems with excess mucus from his bottom, and decided to make his stoma permanent by having proctectomy surgery, the removal of the anus and rectum, in February.
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Despite some immediate issues after surgery including developing a hematoma, Ben has recovered well and wants to raise awareness about life with Crohn's. This includes light-hearted media posts giving an insight into his life - including a Barbie-themed snap with the caption 'part of the exclusive Ken Bum club'. Ben said: "What inspired me to do it is I know lots of amazing women who've had it done. On the whole they've been more open about what they've been through more than the guys do. There weren't many blokes out there sharing their experience of that surgery.
"I was seeing the girls doing it, and thinking 'this is quite fun', and I quite like having a bit of a tongue-in-cheek laugh about it. Bringing a bit of humour to the situation is really important, but doing it in a way that shows the light and the dark of it at the same time. I think the thing about guys' mental health is we tend to quiet down and not talk about this stuff, but it's really important."
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